Poland's great national river, flowing past Kraków and Warsaw to the Baltic.
Length
1,047 km
Source
Barania Góra, Carpathians
Mouth
Baltic Sea (Gdańsk)
Continent
Europe
Countries
Poland
Did you know?
The Vistula is often called the 'queen of Polish rivers' and runs almost entirely within one country.
Little-known fact
Legend tells of the Wawel Dragon that once terrorised Kraków from a cave beside the Vistula.
Highlights
- Poland's national river
- Flows past Kraków and Warsaw
- Home of the Wawel Dragon legend
Life in the Vistula
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Wels catfish
A monstrous European catfish that can top 2.5 m and has learned to beach itself to catch pigeons.
Eurasian otter
A sleek, playful hunter whose return to a river is a sign the water has run clean again.
Waterbirds
Common kingfisher
A dazzling blue-and-orange dart that plunges from a perch to spear fish in an instant.
Mute swan
The great white swan of European waters, gliding in pairs that often mate for life.
Mallard
The familiar green-headed dabbling duck — ancestor of most domestic ducks — found on waters worldwide.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here